COMPETITIVE PROBLEMS IN THE DRUG INDUSTRY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1967 U.S. SENATE, MONOPOLY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to recess, at 10:15 a.m. in room 318, Old Senate Office Building, Senator Gaylord P. Nelson (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Nelson and Hatfield. Also present: Benjamin Gordon, staff economist; James H. Grossman, minority counsel; Susan H. Hewman, research assistant; and William B. Cherkasky, legislative director, staff of Senator Nelson. Senator NELSON. The hearing of the Subcommittee on Monopoly will come to order. Our witness this morning is Dr. Helen B. Taussig. Dr. Taussig, the committee is very pleased that you have been willing to take the time to come here and testify this morning. You have a most distinguished record and I have here your biographical background, which I will ask be printed in the record. (The biographical data referred to follows:) BIOGRAPHICAL DATA-DR. HELEN BROOKE TAUSSIG University of California, 1919-1921: A.B. Special Course at Harvard, Fall of 1921. Boston University School of Medicine, 1922-1924 (One year research). Archibald Fellow in Medicine, 1927-1928. Interne in Pediatrics, 1928–1930. APPOINTMENTS Physician-in-Charge, Harriet Lane Home, Cardiac Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1930-1963. Instructor, Pediatric Cardiology, Harriet Lane Home, Cardiac Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1930-1946. Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University, July 1, 1946-June 30, 1959. Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University, July 1, 1959–July 1, 1963. Appointment to President Lyndon B. Johnson's Commission on Heart Disease, President-Elect, American Heart Association, October 1964-October 1965. President of the American Heart Association, October 1965-October 1966. Member of the Board of the International Cardiology Foundation, representing the American Heart Association 1967 Honorary Chairman-Committee of Responsibility, 1967 (January) Concerning the war-burned, war-injured children of Vietnam. Member Emeritus of the Board-Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology, April 25, 1967 Director-at-Large: American Heart Association, 1967-1970. Member of the United States Delegation-20th World Health Assembly, Conference Geneva, Switzerland, May, 1967. MEDICAL SOCIETIES Pediatric Research Society American Pediatric Society American Heart Association: Member of the Editorial Board of "Circulation". Vice-President, October 1960-1963. President Elect, October 1964-1965. President, October 1965-1966. Council Representative, Editoral Board of Supplements, American Heart Association, July 1, 1963-1966. Maryland Rheumatic Fever Association Association of American Physicians Heart Association of Maryland: President, 1952-1954; Secretary, 1959 American College of Physicians, 1957 International Academy of Pathology Tetratological Society British Cardiac Society-Honorary Member Medical International Cooperation: Medical Advisory Board Board of Trustees American College of Cardiology: Awarded Honorary Fellowship 5/27/60. American Board of Pediatrics: Membership on the Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology. New York Academy of Sciences, Member, April 1962. New York Academy of Sciences, Fellowship, 1966. National Association of Standard Medical Vocabulary, March 1962. AWARDS Women's National Press Club Award, 1947. Chevalier Legion d'Honneur, 1947. Mead-Johnson Award, 1948. Passano Award, 1948. Feltrinelli Prize Awarded in Rome, Italy, 1954. Albert Lasker Award, October, 1954. Elizabeth Blackwell Citation, New York Infirmary, January, 1954. Award of Merit, American Heart Association, June, 1957. Eleanor Roosevelt Achievement Award, September, 1957. Award of Merit, Gairdner Foundation, Toronto, Canada, May-1959. Woman of Achievement Award, American Association of University Women, Denver, Colorado, June 24, 1963. Thomas River Memorial Research Fellowship Award, 1963-1968. First Award, National Foundation, Baltimore, Maryland, (June 26, 1963) Gold Heart Award: American Heart Association, October 27, 1963, Los Angeles, California. Medal of Freedom: Presented by-President of the United States of America— The Theodore and Susan Cummings Humanitarian Award, February 20, 1965, John Phillips Memorial Award: (Bronze Medal). American College of Physicians, Founders Award: Radcliffe College, Cambridge Massachusetts, June, 1966. Myrtle Wreath Award: Hadassah, Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc. New York Hilton Hotel, December 14, 1966. Carl Ludwig-Medal of Honor-1967. Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Kreislaufforschung, Received April 1967. William G. Kerckhoff-Institut, Bad Nauheim, Germany. Medal and Plaque: Visiting Professor; "In Recognition of her outstanding contributions to the Field of Heart Disease. Presented at the Georgetown University Hospital. October 4, 1967. Washington, D.C. HONORARY SOCIETIES Pi Beta Kappa-University of California, 1921. Alpha Omega Alpha-Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 1927. HONORARY DEGREES D. Sc., Boston University, School of Medicine, 1948 D. Sc., Goucher College, 1949. D. Sc., Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, 1950. D. Sc., Northwestern University, 1951. D. Sc., Columbia University, 1951. D. Sc., Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1951. D. Sc., Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, 1952. D. Sc., Western College for Women, Oxford, Ohio, 153. D. Sc., Harvard University, 1959. D. Sc., Göttingen University, Göttingen, Germany 1960. Dr. Med. University of Wien, Austria, 1965: Ceremonies of the 600th Anni versary of the University of Wien. D. Sc., Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Virginia, March 12, 1966. D. Sc., Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania, May 1966. Dr. Humanity: Colby College, Waterville, Maine, June 1966. D. Sc., University of Massachusetts, Amherst, June 1966. D. Sc. Jefferson Medical College and Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Presented at the 143rd Commencement Exercises-June 2, 1967. Honorary Degree Professor Emeritus and Doctor of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece, November 1956. Honorary Medal: American College of Chest Physicians, May, 1953. Honorary Member: Sociedad Venezolana De Cardiologia, 1957. President of the American Heart Association (First Woman President) October 1965-1966. Chairman of the Central Committee, American Heart Association, Oct. 1966-67. Director at Large, American Heart Association, October 24, 1967-1970. CONSULTANT Pediatrician and Pediatrician OPD-Johns Hopkins University, School of Consultant in Pediatric Cardiology to the Marine Hospital. Visiting Consultant in Medicine, Sinai Hospital. Consultant in Pediatric Cardiology-Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Senator NELSON. We note you were physician in charge of the Harriett Lane Cardiac Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, from 1930 to 1963; that you were appointed by President Johnson to the Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke in March 1964; that you were president of the American Heart Association from October 1965 to October 1966; that you are a member of the Board of International Cardiology Foundation, representing the American Heart Association in 1967; and that you are director at large of the American Heart Association, 1967 to 1970. I note a long list of very distinguished awards that you have received, as well as a long list of honorary degrees. This biography will be printed in the record. I think everybody knowledgeable about medicine and health matters is familiar with your great and distinguished contribution to health and medicine in this country, and I suppose the contributions of which the public is most aware of are that you were the codeveloper of the blue baby operation, and that you are the one who alerted the medical profession in this country to the dangers of thalidomide. The committee appreciates very much your taking the time to come here to make your contribution to the hearings which this committee has been conducting now for several months. I would ask you if it is satisfactory with you that you proceed to read your statement, and if you have no objection, from time to time I would like to interject some questions, so that you may develop in greater detail some of the points you have made. Thank you, Doctor. STATEMENT OF DR. HELEN B. TAUSSIG, PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF PEDIATRICS, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, BALTIMORE, MD. Dr. TAUSSIG. Thank you, Senator Nelson. It is a pleasure to be here today, and I am glad to be of any help and service I can. You have already explained to the people here who I am, so I don't believe that I need to repeat that. By way of introduction may I explain to you how I first heard about thalidomide. One of my former fellows, Dr. Alois Beuren of West Germany had studied with Dr. Bing and Dr. Andrus and then studied with me for a year in the days when Congress permitted postdoctoral trainee fellowships of the National Institutes of Health to be granted to foreign doctors. I emphasize this because although some foreign fellowships have been abused, some have brought us rich returns. In a very real sense the same is true about trainee fellowships as is true of research fellowships. Just a small percentage of research really pays off but that which pays off, pays off so well with such high dividends that it justifies all the other money which goes into research. And I feel in a sense so it is in traineeships. Only a few pay off with high returns both to their own country and to ours. The only difference between the two is, virtually every doctor is a better doctor for having had an additional period of training. So I think there is no lost money there. Dr. Beuren's training brought rich returns in Germany and here. Thanks to an evening he spent at my house when he returned for a brief visit that I heard about thalidomide. That evening he told me that the doctors in West Germany were seeing a great number of children born with gross malformations of the extremities, little flippers instead of arms or legs, or no arms or no legs; and what was more, that Dr. Lenz thought the malformation was caused by a sleeping tablet. I brought over with me some slides only hoping to remind you of how miserable the malformation is. Here is a picture of my reprints. I also have some pictures of these unfortunate children. |